APPSC Group-I examination scam: ED raids seven premises in Hyderabad, launches probe into ₹1.14 crore payment made to private firm
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at seven premises in Hyderabad and Secunderabad in connection with an alleged scam involving the manual evaluation of answer scripts in the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) Group-I Main Examination.
The searches, conducted by the ED’s Hyderabad Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), covered premises in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The investigation is based on an FIR registered by Suryaraopet Police Station in Vijayawada, which alleges irregularities in the manual evaluation of answer scripts and a payment of ₹1,14,32,312 to a private company.
According to the ED, the alleged irregularities took place after the Andhra Pradesh High Court, in November 2021, set aside the digital evaluation of answer scripts and directed manual evaluation. The then Secretary of APPSC, P. Seetharamanjaneyulu, entrusted the work to M/s CamSign Media Pvt. Ltd. The company was engaged to carry out the manual evaluation at its premises at Haailand Resorts in Chinnakakani village, Guntur district.
The ED said the answer scripts were moved out of official premises and kept at the resort for 84 days, between December 2021 and February 2022. Investigators suspect that no genuine manual evaluation was conducted. Instead, marks from the earlier digital evaluation were allegedly mapped as manual evaluation marks.
On January 1, 2022, the exercise was reportedly declared to be in its final stages, and ₹1,14,32,312 was released to the private company through a cheque dated February 16, 2022, signed by the then APPSC Secretary. The ED said the payment was made for work that was allegedly not rendered.
The agency conducted searches at the premises of P. Seetharamanjaneyulu, the then APPSC Secretary, CamSign Media Pvt. Ltd. and its managing director P. Madhusudhana Rao, among others. Premises linked to M/s Avaas Resorts, Haailand Resorts and M/s Stone Media Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd., which had conducted the earlier digital evaluation, were also covered.
The ED said incriminating documents, digital devices and other records relating to the alleged scam were seized. Statements of the accused persons, including that of P. Seetharamanjaneyulu, were recorded during the searches. Property documents recovered from the premises are being verified.
The agency is examining the movement of funds, including the use of a portion of the payment towards the use of Haailand Resorts and the remaining amount, whose application and layering are under investigation. Further investigation is underway.
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